View the October 20, 2022, Full Hunter’s Moon as it rises tonight! Here is what to anticipate.

The moon may appear larger and more orange than usual during the Hunter’s Moon.

 

On Sunday, October 9, the Hunter’s Moon, the full moon for October, will be visible on the horizon just before sunset.

 

The Hunter’s Moon, which derives its name from the fact that it formerly indicated a time to hunt in preparation for the impending winter, will be visible to skywatchers for several evenings before and after.

 

The Harvest Moon, which fell on September 10 this year, is followed by the Hunter’s Moon, which is the first full moon. The Harvest Moon itself marks the beginning of fall in the northern hemisphere as it is the first full moon following the autumnal equinox. The Harvest and Hunter’s moons are the only full moons that are associated with an astronomical event and can really occur in several months, making them special.

 

The Hunter’s Moon will be at its brightest on Sunday at about 4:54 p.m. EST (2054 GMT), but it won’t be visible at that time because it will be below the horizon. The full moon will not be seen until after sunset, so skygazers will have to wait.

 

On Sunday, the full moon may appear bigger and more orange as it rises over the horizon, giving off a look appropriate for autumn and the run-up to Halloween.

 

The “moon illusion” and the fact that it is being seen close to the horizon are to blame for this.

 

The full moon seems orange because, when we view it close to the horizon, more of the Earth’s atmosphere is being penetrated by the light it reflects toward us than when we view it close to the sky.

 

Shorter wavelength blue light photons than red light are very well scattered by molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere. Accordingly, the sky is blue because blue photons bounce about it before reaching our eyes. Most red photons with longer wavelengths pass right past these molecules and right to our eye.

 

The likelihood of red photons bounced around increases when they must pass through the densest region of the atmosphere at the horizon.

 

The moon appears larger, so why does it appear redder when we look at it close to the horizon? This might have less to do with a physical effect and more to do with how we interpret items. The broad horizon is said to be “dwarfed” by the moon when it is overhead, according to Farmer’s Almanac(opens in new tab). The result is that it appears to be smaller.

 

However, when the moon is near the horizon, we contrast it with more earthly objects, such as structures and trees, as opposed to fewer celestial objects (which appear small in the sky) (which appear larger by comparison). As a result, the moon appears to be very large.

 

The term “supermoon” often refers to a full moon or new moon that seems somewhat larger in the sky because the moon is closer to the Earth at the time it happens; this is not to be confused with the moon illusion.

 

The full moon in August, sometimes referred to as the Sturgeon Moon, was the final supermoon of 2022.

 

The Beaver Moon, which occurs on November 8, follows the Hunter’s Moon in October. The following full moon in 2022 is the appropriately named Cold Moon in December, which occurs on December 7.

 

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